Sunday, September 27, 2009

The Right to Know

Happy International Right to Know Day on 9/28!
The Freedom of Information Advocates (FOIA) Network is sponsoring events worldwide to draw attention to citizens' rights to know what their governments are doing. Strides are being made around the globe for greater access to public information for all citizens, including our own.



In a different kind of knowing, have you tried the Free Rice site lately? It began as a vocabulary game that donated grains of rice to the needy. It has since expanded its subject areas to Art, Chemistry, English grammar, Geography, Languages, and Math. Give it a try, test what you know, and help the hungry all at once!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Peace

Happy International Peace Day! (If you are reading this after Sept. 21, go ahead and celebrate anyway.) The goal of the day is to enjoy peace for one day. If one day, why not one more? And one more after that?



Is peace more than the absence of war?
Enjoy these links as you contemplate the meaning of "peace."
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me
Peace like a river
Peaceful, easy feelin'
On earth, peace, goodwill to all
The peace that passes understanding
Peace, I leave with you, my friend
Shalom, Salaam, Pax, Paz, Paix
Peace train
Peace and quiet
Peace Corps
Peace pipe
Nobel Peace Prize
Peace and justice
What do you think of when you think of peace?

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Read All About It!


Join UNESCO and the International Reading Association in celebrating International Literacy Day on September 8.

How can you celebrate? READ!
*cereal boxes
*street signs
*billboards
*emails
*novels
*technical manuals
*graphic novels
*magazines
*clothing labels
*store ads
*textbooks
Read anything at all!

Model reading. Let others see you read!
Read aloud to
*your child
*your spouse
*your teacher
*your friend
*your dog, cat, fish or other pet
*passersby
*yourself!

Be thankful that you can read. Here are some facts from a statement by the International Reading Association:
*It is estimated that nearly 860 million of the world's adults do not know how to read or write.
*85% of juvenile offenders [in the U.S.] have reading problems.
*American business spends $60 billion each year on employee training, much of that for remedial reading, writing, and mathematics.
*Africa, as a continent, has a literacy rate of less than 60%.

Which countries are the most literate? The least? Where does the U.S fit in? See the answers and related information in this UK Guardian article from March 9, 2009.

How will you celebrate?